The very first and MOST IMPORTANT factor when it comes to washing your cloth diapers is that you MUST use the proper amount of detergent.

Some customers are opting to use as little as 1-2 teaspoons of detergent when the recommended amount is actually 1 cup. When asked if they would use this little detergent on their cloths they would say absolutely NOT.

So we are saying Please, PRETTY PLEASE, with lots of HAPPY HEINYS ON TOP use the recommended amount of detergent on your diapers. If you do not you run the risk of smelly diapers, dirty diapers, rashes, and worse burns on babies bottom. Read your brands label and use the amount recommended by the manufacturer. If it is 2 teaspoons or 1 cup just use the correct amount.

• Tide… Yes you read that correctly just plain old regular Tide. This is the main detergent we used while cloth diapering & we have recommended this since the beginning. We have had no reported issues with repelling from Tide when it has been used correctly, that is using the FULL recommended amount. Tide will NOT harm any of your diapers. It is one of the easiest detergents to find on the market so you do not have to pay outrageous shipping amounts you can typically find it at your local store.
  *The stated issue of Tide from some manufacturers is the presence of ENZYMES, which do not harm diapers. However, this is a personal choice and not one made for the ease of use of the products. There are some who may develop an allergy to Enzymes. Most adults are aware of any allergy they may have and we recommend as does Tide that you immediately stop using if
  redness or rash occur*
• Country Save: This is my favorite go to environmentally safe and natural detergent. One of the best things about Country Save is that it not only will clean your diapers but it also will clean your super dirty, stinky, laundry. As a mother and a manufacturer I am not in favor of the need for multiple detergents for different loads of wash. Too complicated.
  *We have only heard of a single repelling problem from the use of Country Save. While we cannot say with 100% confidence why this problem occurred we have found that 99.9% of repelling cases are due to: not using enough detergent, using a non-recommended natural detergent, using essential oils, & using incorrect bottom cream. If you ever have a question regarding Country Save the company owner is a wonderful gentleman who will do whatever he can to help you: krisa@countrysave.com”
• Rockin Green: This detergent is somewhat new on the market and to our list. We love the way it smells when you put the detergent in the wash and we love the lack of smell when putting it in the dryer. Most of our customers have reported great success with Rockin Green. We have recently been told that it also works great for all wash including that of a very dirty airplane mechanic.

*You MUST know your water type for this. If you have hard water & use the soft water brand you will have possible ammonia burns from the diapers not getting clean. If redness appears stop using detergents immediately and contact the manufacturer for remedies.

There are some Detergents on the market that claim to be wonderful for the use of cloth diapers and some are. Just because we do not recommend them does not mean they are not safe to use.

Our basic rule of thumb is that you can use pretty much any mainstream detergent without problems. Of course this does go against the organic grain of thought.

Detergents that have “Free & Clear” formulas have been known to cause repelling issues so as a rule of thumb we do not recommend them.
Sadly 99.9% of the natural detergents really are not good for the diaper and will cause an oil like coating on the fleece causing it to repel. If you use diapers without a fleece liner then this is not an issue for you.

*Some companies do recommend the use of Natural Detergents knowing that this does harm your pocket style diapers with a poly fleece or suede liner next to the baby. This is done purely out of personal choice and not due to what is best for YOUR product to help extend the life of your product.

*Some companies recommend the use of chlorine bleach on a monthly basis. This is recommend to remove/help prevent the oily build-up on your diapers that is caused from the use of natural detergents. The use of chlorine bleach is one of the very few products that ALL manufacturers of our water-proof layer warn against due to the damage the chlorine bleach will do to your water proof layer.

*In short when it comes to detergents we recommend doing it the right way, your way to begin with vs. suggesting a detergent that will ruin your diapers & will require the use of a very caustic agent monthly to remedy the original ruining of your diapers, only to cause more damage with the chlorine bleach.

As a manufacturer we believe that most times mom/dad knows best. There are a couple of detergents I want to specifically mention as well as the issue with these detergents:

• 7th Generation: this is a great detergent. Works great with general laundry and OLD STYLE DIAPERS. Unfortunately 7th Generation is widely know for causing an oily build up on diapers with a stay dry fleece layer. So be careful & only use on the correct diapers.
• Charlies, SensiClean, & SportWash: All 3 of these detergents can also be great detergents for some people. On the other hand they can be a parents worse nightmare. Just ask any parent who has used this soap and experienced one of the horrible, blistering, & scar leaving burns. The parent who may have used this product just a time or two or for a year or two. The parent who loves the fact that it is hypoallergenic and safe for babies and most importantly washes out completely clean leaving NO residue.If it leaves no residue then it will not cause harm to our babies. Sadly this is not the case. Sadly prior to Charlies adding the statement that “(For First Time Users) Run an empty load (or perhaps some old rags) with the recommended amount of Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid or Powder. This will clear your washing machine of any residue left by previously used detergents and keep them from redepositing on your clothes. “

Many mothers were actually told that these burns were not due to their use of these detergents. These mothers were made to feel guilty as though they have done something wrong. After some time, more of these burn/blister cases began to show up and the cause was determined to be Ammonia burns due to diapers not getting cleaned properly and detergent build up. But wait a minute how is this possible if it rinses free of residue?

The Charlies website now states you must wash your washer to remove residue prior to using it in order to prevent this very issue. Unfortunately this is not enough. Most often parents who use Charlies and cloth diaper use a separate detergent for their other laundry. Thus according to Charlies theory they would need to run an empty load with the Charlies prior to using it each time or risk the burn.

AS A MANUFACTURER, A RETAILER, AND A MOTHER WHOSE CHILD WAS LEFT WITH DEEP SCARRING I CANNOT KNOW RECOMMEND THE USE OF THIS DETERGENT WITHOUT FIRST MAKING SURE THAT THE PARENT WHO CHOOSES TO USE THIS IS FULLY INFORMED OF THE POTENTIAL RISKS. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MANY LOVERS OF THIS DETERGENT WHO WILL NEVER HAVE ANY ISSUE AT ALL. IF YOU USE CHARLIES AND IT WORKS FOR YOU PLEASE DO NOT STOP JUST BE INFORMED.

As a manufacturer I would love to recommend the use of this detergent but simply due to the fact that it is impossible to warn every parent that they must run an empty load prior to the use of this detergent which means every time you wash diapers if you use a different detergent I just cannot recommend the use of it or recommend that our retailers recommend the use of it.

As a manufacturer and a retailer it is against our liability insurance policies to refer any product that we know can be harmful to children so this is our best way of protection for you.